Abbott and Enanta initiate Phase I hepatitis trial

The objectives of the trial include assessment of safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics. ABT-450 was discovered as part of a worldwide alliance between Abbott and Enanta to discover, develop and commercialize protease inhibitors for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The Phase I, double-blind, placebo-controlled study for ABT-450 is a single, ascending oral dose trial in healthy volunteers.

Jay Luly, president and CEO of Enanta, said: ABT-450 demonstrated favorable potency in vitro across various HCV genotypes and highly resistant strains. We look forward to working with Abbott to advance ABT-450, and to our building a pipeline of HCV protease inhibitors that addresses this widespread disease.

Abbott is a health care company committed to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. In addition to developing HCV therapies, Abbott also offers laboratory tests for patient diagnosis, blood screening tests for hospitals and blood banks, and molecular diagnostic tests to measure HCV viral load and resistance.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals is a research and development company that uses its novel chemistry approach and drug discovery capabilities to create best-in-class small molecule drugs in the anti-infective field. Enanta is developing novel protease, polymerase and cyclophilin-based inhibitors targeted against the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Additionally, the company has created a new class of macrolide antibiotics, called Bicyclolides, which overcomes bacterial resistance.